My personal Gattica moment
http://instruct.westvalley.edu/lafave/hb.html
Feeling philosophical today, so I ruthlessly gakked this off the blogsite of a better writer and intellectual than myself. That's truly ironic when you consider that the link above is to my favoritte Kurt Vonnegut story. Its my favorite because I think it was prophetic when written, and of all his many insightful writings about human nature, it best reflects the fallcities and pure arrogance of PC as policy beyond philosophy. Its done some good things, but beyond reconizing abilities and giving those possessing those abilities an oppurtunity to use them gainfully, PC as policy has done much, much more harm to this country and its values than any enemy we have ever had.
Its dumbed down education to the point of irrelevance. Its dumbed down politics to the point where the needs of the nation are second to the rhetoric of the soundbite, the slogan and the catch phrase. Its the same social mechanism as ther tools of dictatorship Hitler and Stalin used, in that it is an active and avowed enemy of intelectual thought and competence subservient to a completely arbitrary agenda of very limited utility in the messy mix that is humankind. To make it fit across the board itseeks to average down the exceptional, glorify the mediocre and elevate the below average, in whatever measure you care to utilize. Its merely intelectual dictatorship with an updated but fraying wrapping. The ultimate jingoism!
Its like this, people are different, from each other, from societal archtypes, heck, frfom cultural standards and other artificial and irrelavent valuations. They are different genetically too, and until the scenerio of genetic selection from the movie Gattica becomes vogue, they always will be and artifical constrants are the worst form od bondage. We have absolutely no chance of using our superlative cognitive, physical , intellectual or creative resources for the betterment of all as long as restrictive movements like political correctness have the support and power of law. And in viewing our current economy, we really need every advantage and resource at our disposal to collectively dig ourselves out of our current hole!
But people are shallow idiots too, myself included. We tend to see the surface as an indicator of content and adapt our behaviors to fit...so we have agism, sexism, racism, classism, even spiritualism. when all of these "standards" are mere echoes of what we see in the bathroom mirror every morning. Hence my repulsion with political correctness, which is a much less accurate valuation system than merit. The obvious problems is: you can't eat it, or fuck it, or be annoyed by it or even lable it as less worthy tthan our own deficiencies, mostly because then we would each have to have the faith and guts to take an honest, unflinching look at our true selves.
I did this during the depths of my post-divorce emotional anguish. A nice, long, detached look at who I truly am as a person while my emotional circuit breaker was off anyway. Even then, it was the scariest, and most exhilerating act I have ever done. To this day, I can't honestly say whether I did it as an act of defiance against mediocrity, insecurity or pretensions. Or, whether I was just indulging a self-destructive, masochistic element of my pshychie. Spffft! I probably was just apathetic to everything and did it because I could and I thought it would be a hoot to do something any sane person would be scared to do to themselves willingly. The experience didn't make me any better of a person, instill any more worth or merit than I possessed before it, or even make me wiser than anyone else.
It just freed me from my illusions: about myself, about other people, about society as a wholle and as an individual even from any expectations or dogmas that restrained or forced my behaviors to conform. My core beliefs remained, levened with pragmatism and realism. My dreams became more focused and obtainable based on my abilities, my resources and my available pool of expertise of those on whom I could ask questions or utilize their skills. The major benefit was that I learned t accept myself as just who I actually am, and that was very much of a relief and very, very liberating to me as a part in the cosmic machine. Less and less am I reliant pr even cognizant on differences whereas that has shifted more to capability and the merit associated with competency. I accept them as is. I don't try to elevate or deprecate them. Thats a guage they have already set through their own actions, I merely accept it as fact and treat them according to the scale they have already set for themselves and the capabilities they bring to the table as an individual.
PC doesn't do that. Its a clunky tool of only limited uses in limited scenerios. And its not flexible or adaptative in the least. One size doesn't fit all in a jigsaw puzzle, its just less effort to attempt to limit th emold to one size. That was also Hitler and Stalin's plan. One mold, one people, one state.....and that is just not good enough for any of us to settle for. Our destiny as a people is much, much greater than that.
Stepping down from the soapbox. No one will ever read this but that isn't the point. It neede dto be said, especially these days and our current "leadership in Congress is to myoptic and cowardly to do it. Hence, Kurt Vonnegit, who was brave enough....
Feeling philosophical today, so I ruthlessly gakked this off the blogsite of a better writer and intellectual than myself. That's truly ironic when you consider that the link above is to my favoritte Kurt Vonnegut story. Its my favorite because I think it was prophetic when written, and of all his many insightful writings about human nature, it best reflects the fallcities and pure arrogance of PC as policy beyond philosophy. Its done some good things, but beyond reconizing abilities and giving those possessing those abilities an oppurtunity to use them gainfully, PC as policy has done much, much more harm to this country and its values than any enemy we have ever had.
Its dumbed down education to the point of irrelevance. Its dumbed down politics to the point where the needs of the nation are second to the rhetoric of the soundbite, the slogan and the catch phrase. Its the same social mechanism as ther tools of dictatorship Hitler and Stalin used, in that it is an active and avowed enemy of intelectual thought and competence subservient to a completely arbitrary agenda of very limited utility in the messy mix that is humankind. To make it fit across the board itseeks to average down the exceptional, glorify the mediocre and elevate the below average, in whatever measure you care to utilize. Its merely intelectual dictatorship with an updated but fraying wrapping. The ultimate jingoism!
Its like this, people are different, from each other, from societal archtypes, heck, frfom cultural standards and other artificial and irrelavent valuations. They are different genetically too, and until the scenerio of genetic selection from the movie Gattica becomes vogue, they always will be and artifical constrants are the worst form od bondage. We have absolutely no chance of using our superlative cognitive, physical , intellectual or creative resources for the betterment of all as long as restrictive movements like political correctness have the support and power of law. And in viewing our current economy, we really need every advantage and resource at our disposal to collectively dig ourselves out of our current hole!
But people are shallow idiots too, myself included. We tend to see the surface as an indicator of content and adapt our behaviors to fit...so we have agism, sexism, racism, classism, even spiritualism. when all of these "standards" are mere echoes of what we see in the bathroom mirror every morning. Hence my repulsion with political correctness, which is a much less accurate valuation system than merit. The obvious problems is: you can't eat it, or fuck it, or be annoyed by it or even lable it as less worthy tthan our own deficiencies, mostly because then we would each have to have the faith and guts to take an honest, unflinching look at our true selves.
I did this during the depths of my post-divorce emotional anguish. A nice, long, detached look at who I truly am as a person while my emotional circuit breaker was off anyway. Even then, it was the scariest, and most exhilerating act I have ever done. To this day, I can't honestly say whether I did it as an act of defiance against mediocrity, insecurity or pretensions. Or, whether I was just indulging a self-destructive, masochistic element of my pshychie. Spffft! I probably was just apathetic to everything and did it because I could and I thought it would be a hoot to do something any sane person would be scared to do to themselves willingly. The experience didn't make me any better of a person, instill any more worth or merit than I possessed before it, or even make me wiser than anyone else.
It just freed me from my illusions: about myself, about other people, about society as a wholle and as an individual even from any expectations or dogmas that restrained or forced my behaviors to conform. My core beliefs remained, levened with pragmatism and realism. My dreams became more focused and obtainable based on my abilities, my resources and my available pool of expertise of those on whom I could ask questions or utilize their skills. The major benefit was that I learned t accept myself as just who I actually am, and that was very much of a relief and very, very liberating to me as a part in the cosmic machine. Less and less am I reliant pr even cognizant on differences whereas that has shifted more to capability and the merit associated with competency. I accept them as is. I don't try to elevate or deprecate them. Thats a guage they have already set through their own actions, I merely accept it as fact and treat them according to the scale they have already set for themselves and the capabilities they bring to the table as an individual.
PC doesn't do that. Its a clunky tool of only limited uses in limited scenerios. And its not flexible or adaptative in the least. One size doesn't fit all in a jigsaw puzzle, its just less effort to attempt to limit th emold to one size. That was also Hitler and Stalin's plan. One mold, one people, one state.....and that is just not good enough for any of us to settle for. Our destiny as a people is much, much greater than that.
Stepping down from the soapbox. No one will ever read this but that isn't the point. It neede dto be said, especially these days and our current "leadership in Congress is to myoptic and cowardly to do it. Hence, Kurt Vonnegit, who was brave enough....